Shared Flashcard Set

Details

GRE Vocabulary
commonly used GRE words
174
English
Undergraduate 4
10/13/2010
Click here to study/print these flashcards.

Create your own flash cards! Sign up here.

Additional English Flashcards

 

 

Cards

Term
aberrant
 Definition
abnormal
Term
abstemious
 Definition
abstaining from eating or drinking
Term
acerbic
 Definition
sour or bitter
Term
alacrity
 Definition
cheerful promptness
Term
allude
 Definition
refer indirectly
Term
altruism
 Definition
unselfish devotion to the welfare of others
Term
amalgam
 Definition
mixture or combination (often of metals)
Term
amalgamate
 Definition
to mix or combine
Term
ameliorate
 Definition
to improve
Term
anachronism
 Definition
something out of place in time
Term
anomaly
 Definition
an oddity
Term
antipathy
 Definition
natural dislike
Term
apposite
 Definition
relevant or suitable
Term
arcane
 Definition
obscure or secret
Term
archetype
 Definition
prototype
Term
arduous
 Definition
difficult
Term
arid
 Definition
extremely dry
Term
articulate
 Definition
clear and distinct, to utter clearly
Term
ascetic
 Definition
one in self-denial, rigorously abstinent
Term
aseptic
 Definition
germ free
Term
aspersion
 Definition
slanderous statement
Term
assiduous
 Definition
carefully attentive
Term
assuage
 Definition
to relieve or ease
Term
astringent
 Definition
substance that contracts bodily tissues
Term
atrophy
 Definition
to waste away from lack of use
Term
attenuate
 Definition
to make thin or weaken
Term
autocracy
 Definition
an absolute monarchy
Term
autocrat
 Definition
absolute ruler
Term
baleful
 Definition
harmful
Term
banal
 Definition
trite, unoriginal
Term
beneficent
 Definition
doing good
Term
bilateral
 Definition
having two sides
Term
bombast
 Definition
pompous speech
Term
burgeon
 Definition
to grow quickly
Term
cacophony
 Definition
a harsh sound
Term
cant
 Definition
insincere statements of high ideals
or
the vernacular of a group
Term
caprice
 Definition
sudden change
Term
catharsis
 Definition
purging of the body or soul
Term
chicanery
 Definition
trickery
Term
churlishness
 Definition
crude behavior
Term
circumlocution
 Definition
talking in a round about way
Term
cloture
 Definition
parliamentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote
Term
cloying
 Definition
overly flattering
Term
coda
 Definition
a concluding passage in music
Term
codify
 Definition
to organize laws
Term
cogent
 Definition
to the point, clear and concise
Term
cogitate
 Definition
to think hard
Term
cognitive
 Definition
capable of perception
Term
cognizant
 Definition
perceptive
Term
coherent
 Definition
connected
Term
cohesion
 Definition
the act of connecting
Term
comeliness
 Definition
beauty
Term
commodious
 Definition
roomy
Term
complaisance
 Definition
agreeable or eager to please
Term
compliant
 Definition
obeying
Term
connotative
 Definition
containing associated meanings in addition to the primary one
Term
constrain
 Definition
to force or restrain
Term
contentious
 Definition
quarrelsome
Term
contiguous
 Definition
touching or close but not touching
Term
contravene
 Definition
to contradict
Term
conundrum
 Definition
a puzzle
Term
converge
 Definition
to move toward one point
Term
coterie
 Definition
a clique
Term
crass
 Definition
unrefined
Term
debacle
 Definition
disaster
Term
debilitate
 Definition
to wear out
Term
decorous
 Definition
suitable and proper
Term
deleterious
 Definition
harmful
Term
denigrate
 Definition
to defame or belittle
Term
deprecate
 Definition
to protest against
Term
deride
 Definition
to mock
Term
derision
 Definition
mockery
Term
diatribe
 Definition
a bitter or abusive speech
Term
dichotomy
 Definition
a division into two parts
Term
diffident
 Definition
timid
Term
diffuse
 Definition
verbose or not focused
Term
discourse
 Definition
to converse
Term
discrete
 Definition
separate or distinct
Term
disingenuous
 Definition
not frank, deceivingly simple
Term
disinterested
 Definition
neutral
Term
disparate
 Definition
unequal
Term
disputatious
 Definition
argumentative
Term
dissemble
 Definition
to pretend
Term
dissonance
 Definition
musical discord
Term
dissonant
 Definition
not in harmony
Term
ebullience
 Definition
an overflowing of high spirits
Term
ellipsis
 Definition
omission of words that would make the meaning clear
Term
elucidate
 Definition
to explain
Term
emollient
 Definition
softening the skin
Term
encomium
 Definition
high praise
Term
endemic
 Definition
native to a particular area or people
Term
enervate
 Definition
to weaken
Term
engender
 Definition
to bring about
Term
ephemeral
 Definition
short-lived
Term
eulogy
 Definition
words of praise
Term
evanescent
 Definition
vanishing quickly
Term
exigent
 Definition
urgent
Term
extemporize
 Definition
to improvise
Term
extrapolate
 Definition
to infer what is unknown from something known
Term
facetious
 Definition
improper joking
Term
feign
 Definition
pretend
Term
gainsay
 Definition
to deny
Term
garrulous
 Definition
talkative or wordy
Term
iconoclast
 Definition
attacker of cherished beliefs
Term
impassive
 Definition
showing no emotion
Term
imperturbable
 Definition
calm
Term
impervious
 Definition
impenetrable
Term
implacable
 Definition
unwilling to be pacified
Term
impugn
 Definition
to attack with words
or
to question truthfulness
Term
inchoate
 Definition
not yet fully formed
Term
incisive
 Definition
to the point
Term
incredulous
 Definition
skeptical
Term
indigenous
 Definition
native
Term
inept
 Definition
clumsy or incompetent
Term
inert
 Definition
inactive
Term
ingenuous
 Definition
noble
Term
inherent
 Definition
intrinsic, part of the essential character
Term
insipid
 Definition
boring
Term
intractable
 Definition
stubborn
Term
intransigent
 Definition
uncompromising
Term
intrepid
 Definition
bold
Term
irascible
 Definition
prone to anger
Term
laconic
 Definition
sparing of words
Term
loquacious
 Definition
talkative
Term
luminous
 Definition
shining, intelligent
Term
macerate
 Definition
to soften by steeping in liquid
Term
maculate
 Definition
defiled
Term
magnanimity
 Definition
disdaining meanness or revenge
Term
malevolent
 Definition
wishing evil
Term
malign
 Definition
to speak ill of, having an evil disposition
Term
malleable
 Definition
easy to bend
Term
misanthrope
 Definition
hater of mankind
Term
obdurate
 Definition
stubborn
Term
obsequious
 Definition
servilely attentive, fawning
Term
obviate
 Definition
to make unnecessary
Term
ossify
 Definition
to turn to bone, to harden
Term
palpable
 Definition
clear or touchable
Term
panegyric
 Definition
high praise
Term
paradigm
 Definition
model or pattern
Term
paradox
 Definition
a tenet seemingly false but actually true
Term
parsimonious
 Definition
very frugal
Term
pedantic
 Definition
emphasizing form in teaching
Term
penurious
 Definition
stingy
Term
perfunctory
 Definition
done in routine without interest
Term
petulant
 Definition
cranky
Term
placate
 Definition
to appease
Term
plethora
 Definition
a superabundance
Term
prevaricate
 Definition
to speak evasively, to lie
Term
pristine
 Definition
primitive or pure
Term
propensity
 Definition
an inclination
Term
putrefaction
 Definition
a smelly mass that is decomposition of organic matter
Term
putrefy
 Definition
to decompose
Term
quiescence
 Definition
at rest or motionless
Term
rancor
 Definition
strong ill will
Term
recalcitrant
 Definition
stubbornly rebellious
Term
recondite
 Definition
hard to understand
Term
redundant
 Definition
superfluous
Term
sagacious
 Definition
wise
Term
salubrious
 Definition
promoting good health
Term
sinuous
 Definition
full of curves
Term
specious
 Definition
plausible but deceptive, apparently but not actually true
Term
spurious
 Definition
false, not genuine
Term
squalid
 Definition
filthy
Term
subjugate
 Definition
to dominate or enslave
Term
sycophant
 Definition
a flatter of important people
Term
taciturn
 Definition
inclined to silence
Term
tenuous
 Definition
thin or weak
Term
tortuous
 Definition
full of twists and turns, not straightforward
Term
tractable
 Definition
easily managed
Term
truculent
 Definition
fierce or savage
Term
ubiquitous
 Definition
omnipresent
Term
vacuous
 Definition
stupid
Term
viscous
 Definition
thick and sticky (said of fluids)
Term
welter
 Definition
turmoil, a confused mass
Supporting users have an ad free experience!